Surely the fact that the handlebar is higher than the seat is a good enough reason to despise that ugly bike.

Actually the bars being a foot or more below the saddle is only really a requirement, if speed is the ultimate concern, such as for racing. However when comfort over long distances, is the primary concern, such as when touring, it's actually common to have the bars even or above the saddle.

If I hadn't already purchased a LHT, I'd have one. In fact I was all over one for gravel rides, until I bought the Marathon Cross(es) for the LHT. Now I'm back to going "crap, that's really cool, but there's no way I can justify it"..